Agenda and minutes

To welcome those present to the meeting.

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Amesbury Area Board.

To receive any apologies or substitutions for the meeting.

Apologies for absence had been received from:

·         Jan Tidd

·         Michael Blumpton, Allington Parish Council.

·         Officer Alastair Cunningham, Corporate Director.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 13 September 2018.

Resolved:

The minutes of the meeting held on 13 September 2018 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman, with the following correction:

Deputy Inspector John Hutchings, Wiltshire Police, was in attendance, not Inspector Christian Lange.

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

Councillor Darren Henry declared a non-pecuniary interest in agenda item 9, as he was a volunteer for Shrewton Youth Club who were applying for a youth grant.  Councillor Henry declared he would consider the application on its merits with an open mind as he debated and voted on the item.

Cllr Fred Westmoreland declared a non-pecuniary interest in agenda item 14. He declared he would consider the application from Amesbury History Centre on its merits with an open mind as he debated and voted on the item.

To receive the following announcements through the Chairman (written briefing notes are available in the full agenda pack, or online):

·         Banning of Sky Lanterns and Balloon releases on Wilshire Council land

·         Wiltshire Council: Focusing on the Future

·         Localised Labour Market Intelligence

·         Animal Licensing

·         Electoral Review

·         MOD – Military Civilian Integration

The Chairman referred the meeting to the written reports contained in the agenda pack regarding:

·         Banning of Sky Lanterns and Balloon releases on Wilshire Council land

·         Wiltshire Council: Focusing on the Future

·         Localised Labour Market Intelligence

·         Animal Licensing

The Chairman stated that if anyone had any questions regarding these announcements, or wanted a more in depth update, they should get in touch.

To receive an update from Cllr Pauline Church, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Salisbury Recovery, on the Amesbury and Salisbury Recovery, following the recent major incident.

Cllr Pauline Church, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and South Wiltshire Recovery, gave an update on the recovery in Amesbury and Salisbury.

78 businesses had been contacted by Wiltshire Council in Amesbury and £12,500 had been granted, to date, to financially support Amesbury businesses severely impacted by the incidents. £15,000 had been allocated to help Amesbury deliver the new History Centre. There had also been an agreement to top up the budget to regenerate the central car park toilet facilities.

Free parking from 3pm every day continued in Salisbury and Amesbury and free parking on Sundays had been introduced.

To date approximately £5.3 million had been spent on the recovery. This was made up of £1,550,004 from Wiltshire Council reserves, £3,285,487 awarded to Wiltshire Council from central government and £500,000 awarded to Visit Wiltshire from central government. These figures were then  broken down further to detail how the funds were spent, this covered response and recovery, business support and profile and promotion.

South Wiltshire was moving forward, with Boots in Amesbury being reopened, and Zizzi in Salisbury reopening. Salisbury Christmas light switch on had taken place on 15 November 2018. The Salisbury Christmas Market and Ice Rink would be open from 29 November 2018 until 6 January 2019. The Amesbury Christmas Market was due to take place on 5 December 2018. Armed Forces Weekend 2019 had been launched and was being promoted. The event would be taking place in Salisbury from 28 – 30 June 2019. The OVO Energy Cycle Tour series would be returning in May 2019.

Long term economic recovery plans included; transport improvements; developing Amesbury History Centre; the future Boscombe Down programme; a campaign to encourage tourism and increase number visitors with Visit England; the re-development of Salisbury college campus and the Royal Artillery Museum Archive at Larkhill.

A governance structure had been developed to deal with the recovery, involving the South Wiltshire Task Force (Strategic), which included Government, Wiltshire Council members and officers, Salisbury City Council, Amesbury Town Council, CLoG, the LEP, Visit Wiltshire, Salisbury Cathedral and strategic business partners. The Task Force would interact with the South Wiltshire Operation Board and various recovery cells, which were divided into pillars to provide delivery and work streams. These would include economy, health & wellbeing, communications, tourism and culture. 

In response to questions from the audience and board, Cllr Church stated that there were temporary notices up in car parks detailing the free parking after 3pm arrangements. Cllr Church would investigate the possibility of getting a large sign to be displayed in Amesbury with the details (similar to the ones on the way into Salisbury) and would also investigate the removal of the free 30 minute parking in Central Car park in Amesbury. In response to a question from a representative of the Amesbury History Centre, Cllr Church stated that her office would liaise with Amesbury Town Council and the History Centre to move plans forward for the History Centre. Cllr Church also detailed who sat on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

To receive an update from Richard Walters, Head of Service, Major Projects, on Boscombe Down and economic development in the community area.

The meeting received an update from Richard Walters, Head of Service, Major Projects, on Boscombe Down and economic development in the community area.

Mr Walters stated he was working on several major projects in the Amesbury and Salisbury Area, including Proton Science Park, the Maltings and Central car park, the A303 and Boscombe Down, so he was very familiar with the issues and challenges in the Amesbury Area.

Boscombe Down was a strategically important 300 ha site which was managed by QinetiQ under a long term partnering agreement with DIO (a MOD infrastructure organisation). Unique facilities at the site included the longest military airstrip in the UK, the Empire Test Pilot School and the QinetiQ Apprenticeship Training School. There were currently around 1,500 jobs on site whose main focus was on maintenance, repair and the operation/testing of military aircraft. There was scope for sustainable growth in order to secure the base’s long term future and to capture opportunities in the aerospace sector.

The South West of England hosts one of the largest and most significant aerospace clusters in the world, worth more than £7 billion. The South West had a strong network of world class companies and an excellent supply chain. Therefore the economic potential was huge. High value jobs create opportunities, for example 1 direct job in aerospace created 1 indirect job in the economy. The aerospace sector in the UK grew 39% between 2012 and 2017. 68% of businesses in aerospace employ apprentices and trainees.  

National policy objectives had identified the aerospace and defence aerospace sector as a key potential node of growth – and Boscombe in particular as a location that was already established with core capabilities. The Council had been working with its partners on the ground at Boscombe Down – QinetiQ and the MoD in particular, to explore this potential and identify opportunities for growth.

Boeing had shortlisted Boscombe Down as a new UK centre, Wiltshire Council were working with them to move this forward. Within local policy the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership had identified Boscombe Down as an opportunity in the Strategic Economic Plan, with the potential to support the delivery of high value jobs. Wiltshire Council Core Policy 37 also supported new development and changes of use at operational facilities that help to enhance or sustain their operational capability. The focus on Boscombe Down was part of a focus upon South Wiltshire, which also involved the Porton Science Campus, the new Science Park at Porton Down, the A303 Expressway and the Salisbury and Amesbury recovery strategy.

Going forward the Council, QinetiQ and DIO all shared an ambition to modernise and grow aerospace activity at the airbase. There would be a focus on employment-led development determined through a master planning approach with the local community and the potential to support further growth in MoD operations. Wiltshire Council were committed to enhance or create a new access from the A303 to the airbase. A master plan was being developed for the whole site  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.

To receive updates from the Town and Parish Council Representatives, and from other partner organisations.

·         Wiltshire Police

·         Police and Crime Commissioner

·         Fire and Rescue Service

·         Town and Parish Councils

·         Lovells – SFA and Army Rebasing

·         MOD

·         NHS Wiltshire CCG

·         HealthWatch Wiltshire

The Chairman referred to the updates set out in the agenda and invited further updates from Town/Parish Councils and other Partners.

·         Wiltshire Police

Sector Deputy John Hutchings gave an update. Many police officers were taking part in “Movember” in order to support Men’s Health. The Police Service were making a commitment to be as visible as possible. As part of this, if people were holding events, such as coffee mornings, fetes or Christmas events and would like a Police Officer or PCSO to attend they should contact the local PCSO. There had been a slight increase in youth related violence. In response, high visibility patrols were being stepped up. The Police were working with Wiltshire Council and Highways in order to prepare for the Winter Solstice and to deal with the traditional problems associated with it. The Chairman raised complaints he’d received regarding the 101 telephone service. In response it was stated that crime communication centre in Devizes had a significant turnover of staff, for positive reasons, as employees move on to other roles within organisation. This created ebbs and flows with the ability to answer calls. More staff were needed. However it was stressed that if you call, please do not give up, as crimes needed to be reported as the police cannot react if crimes were not reported. The problems would be fed back to the communications centre. Also in response to a question from the Chair regarding Speedwatch, the Sector Deputy stated that new managers had been employed, the capacity to train people had been expanded and the reaction time was now much quicker. Cllr Graham Wright wanted to pass on his thanks to the Amesbury PCSO, Lucy Wileman. In response to a question from Cllr Wright it was stated that the new Speedwatch manager for Durrington was Sarah Holden.

·         Fire and Rescue Service

·         Town and Parish Councils

Figheldean Parish Council also wanted to pass on their thanks to Police as they had been very helpful responding to problems being encountered with strangers in the area.

·         Lovells – SFA and Army Rebasing

John Lewy from Lovells  gave a brief update. At Bulford the last of the timber kits would be completed soon and the masonry wraps for these would hopefully be completed by Christmas. During the first 2 weeks of December homes would start being handed over. At the Larkhill site far more extensive ground works had been carried out but they were progressing well now. Cllr Wright thanked Lovells, as they had managed the road very well in Durrington. Thanks were also expressed for Lovells help with the fireworks display in Durrington.

·         NHS Wiltshire CCG

·         HealthWatch Wiltshire

To receive any updates from the Local Youth Network.

To consider the following applications for youth grant funding:

·         Amesbury Juniors Football Club, £1,992.00 towards their training facility and coaching.

·         Shrewton Youth Club, £3,396.00, to support the youth club for 2019.

·         The Bridge Youth Project, £1,200.00 towards their mentoring scheme.

Cllr Darren Henry gave an update on the Local Youth Network The last meeting of the LYN had been held at Stonehenge School where they received a talk on volunteering.

At the separate LYN management meeting it was agreed that there would be an event around April 2019, to which adults involved in youth training would be invited. The best ways for the LYN management and the LYN to communicate were also discussed. There were concerns regarding Facebook, which had been the preferred method of the LYN. Advice was being sought on this matter. Whats App had been determined to be a good platform for sending pictures and a Whats App group had been set up for the LYN management group.

The applications for Youth Grant Funding detailed in the agenda were considered. The LYN had recommended all the applications. It was;

Resolved:

·         To award Amesbury Juniors Football Club, £1,192.00 towards their training facility and coaching.

·         To award Shrewton Youth Club £3,396.00 to help support their youth club for 2019.

·         To award The Bridge Youth Project, £1,200.00 towards their mentoring scheme.

Focusing on working as One Team and Army Rebasing -  especially the  implementation of the required infrastructure and community cohesion.

Cllr Graeme Wright gave an update on Communities Together.

·         Dentists

It was stated that there would be no new NHS dental facility at the new Larkhill Medical Centre. The NHS had stated that they would match demand with resources and ensure that demand was met within a 15 mile radius of communities.

·         Doctors

Amesbury, Larkhill, Shrewton and Durrington had the highest population growth in Wiltshire and Army Rebasing would be on top of existing growth. The GP practices in Durrington were too small, leading to the closure of the Shrewton practice in 2019 and the Durrington practice in 2020. There would however be a new NHS Dr’s at Larkhill opening in 2019.

·         Upcoming Plans

o   Stonehenge event on 12 December 2018 from 6.00pm – 8.00pm.

o   Easter Egg Hunt from Larkhill to Stonehenge.

o   Rotary Group helping with Dementia action Alliance

o   Working with the Health and Wellbeing Group

o   £14,000 had been pledged from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund for a community hub café for Shrewton, Larkhill and Durrington.

To consider any updates and recommendations from the Community Area Transport Group (CATG) in relation to the funding available towards Local Transport Projects.

The minutes of the CATG held on 12 November are attached for information.

The Chairman gave a brief update on the Community Area Transport Group. The minutes and recommendations of the CATG were included in the agenda pack.

It was;

Resolved:

To approve the recommendations of the CATG.

To receive any update from the HWBG.

Cllr Graham Wright gave an update on the Health and Wellbeing Group. There had been a recent successful meeting, one of the aims of the HWBG was to create healthy towns and to tackle key issues such as loneliness. The Area Board in January 2019 was to focus on Health and Wellbeing issues.  

Update from Dave Roberts, Amesbury Community Engagement Manager:

·         World War One Commemorative Tree Planting

·         Armed Forces Day 2019

An update was received from Dave Roberts, Community Engagement Manager.

·         World War One Commemorative Tree Planting

Across Wiltshire almost 11,000 trees had been planted by community groups to commemorate the centenary of WWI, including several in the Amesbury Area.

·         Armed Forces Day 2019

Salisbury had been selected to hold the prestigious national event in June 2019. Events would be held across the last weekend in June and over 250,000 people would be expected to attend. Further details would be released in the new year and it was hoped that as many community groups as possible would take part.

To determine the following applications for Community Area Grant funding:

·         Bulford St Leonards Scout Troup, £1,500.00, towards refurbishing their kitchen.

·         Strange Old Things - The Mobile Museum, £1,000.00 towards their “Our Home Too” project.

·         Boscombe and District Social Club, £880.00 towards a new cooker for community lunches.

·         Amesbury History Centre CIO, £5,000.00, towards display cabinets to house their new Bronze Age artefacts.

Cllr Fred Westmoreland, introduced the applications to the Community Area Grant Scheme.

Representatives of Amesbury Baptist Church, Strange Old Things – The Mobile Museum, Boscombe and District Social Club and the Amesbury History Centre spoke in support of their grant applications.

It was;

Resolved:

·         To award Amesbury Baptist Church £1,500.00 towards refurbishing their kitchen.

·         To award Strange Old Things – The Mobile Museum, £1,000.00 towards their “Our Home Too” project.

·         To award Boscombe and District Social Club, £880.00 towards a new cooker for community lunches.

·         To award Amebusry History Centre, £5,000.00 towards display cabinets to house their new Bronze Age artefacts.

Any other items of business which the Chairman agrees to consider as a matter of urgency.

There were no urgent items.

The next meeting of the Amesbury Area Board will be held on Thursday 17 January 2019 at the Stonehenge Visitor Centre, Nr Amesbury, Wiltshire, SP4 7DE.

It was noted that the next meeting of the Amesbury Area Board would be held on Thursday 17 January 2019 at the Stonehenge Visitor Centre, Nr Amesbury, Wiltshire, SP4 7DE.

The Chairman thanked everyone for attending.